Building wall construction and module therefor

ABSTRACT

INTERFITTING STRUCTURAL MODULES ARE BUILT UP IN OVERLAPPING COURSES OR TIERS ON A HORIZONTAL FOUNDATION INTO THE DESIRED BUILDING WALL FORMATION AND EITHER USED AS SUCH OR AS A FORM ASSEBLY INTO WHICH CONCRETE IS POURED. EACH MODULE INCLUDES A PAIR OF LATERALLY-SPACED ELONGATED PARALLEL VERTICAL PANELS INTERCONNECTED AT THEIR TOPS AND ENDS BY WIRE GRATING SPACERS INTO THE INTERSTICES OF WHICH ARE OPTIONALLY INSERTED VERTICAL TUBULAR MEMBERS OF EITHER ROUND OR SQUARE CROSS-SECTION. THESE SERVE AS CONDUITS FOR HEATING, VENTILATION, PLUMBING OR ELECTRIC WIRING WHEN CONCRETE IS POURED AROUND THEM, OR AS COLUMNS WHEN FILLED WITH CONCRETE. THE PANELS AND WIRE GRATING SPACERS ARE CAPABLE OF BEING TRANSPORTED AND PACKED IN KNOCKED DOWN FORM AND ASSEMBLED EITHER AT THE BUILDING CONTRACTOR&#39;&#39;S ESTABLISHMENT OR AT THE BUILDING SITE. EACH MODULE HAS LONGITUDINAL EDGE RABBETS WHICH INTERLOCK WITH ONE ANOTHER AT THE JOINTS BETWEEN SUCCESSIVE COURSES OR TIERS. THE OUTER PANELS ARE OPTIONALLY PROVIDED WITH SPACED HOLES WHICH RECEIVE PEGS OR PINS, THE HEADS OF WHICH ARE EMBEDDED IN RECTANGULAR FACE-BRICK-SIMULATING PLATES. THE OPEN ENDS OF THE END MODULES IN THE WALL CONSTRUCTION ARE CLOSED BY END CLOSURE PANELS INSERTED IN GROOVES IN THE ELONGATED PARALLEL SIDE PANELS. A SIMPLIFIED MODULE (FIGS. 12 AND 13) OMITS THE LONGITUDINAL RODS OF THE TOP SPACERS AND ALSO THE VERTICAL RODS OF THE END SPACERS AND USES SIMPLE TIE RODS WITH PERPENDICULARLY-BENT ENDS ENTERING HOLES IN THE TOP AND ENDS OF THE PANELS. A STILL FURTHER SIMPLIFIED MODULE (FIG. 14) OMITS THE END TIE RODS OR SPACERS OF FIGS. 12 AND 13, RETAINING ONLY THE TOP SPACERS, AND RESULTING IN A MODULE WHICH CAN BE FOLDED FLAT FOR STORAGE OR SHIPMENT, WITH THE END RODS ADDED AT THE BUILDING SITE, OR USED WITHOUT THE END RODS IN THE OBLIQUE ARRANGEMENT OF FIG. 14 WHICH ENABLES THE WALL THICKNESS TO BE VARIED AS DESIRED.

BUILDING WALL CONSTRUCTION AND MODULE THEREFOR Filed July 29, 1968 Feb. 16, 1971 P. w. KUSTUSCH 3 Sheets-Sheet I INVENTOR PAUL W KUSTUSCH Y Ems ATTORN S 1 P. w. KUSTUSCH ,99

BUILDING WALL CONSTRUCTION AND MODULE THEREFOR FIG. lo 94 1 6 INVENTOR PAUL W. KUSTUSCH ATTORN vs Feb. 1 6, 1971 u -r sc 3,562,991

BUILDING WALL CONSTRUCTION AND MODULE THEREFOR Filed vJuly 29, 1968 3 Sheets-Sheet S 54 m0)- 38 I I; .56

INVENTOR PAUL W. KUSTUSCH ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,562,991 BUILDING WALL CONSTRUCTION AND MODULE THEREFOR Paul W. Kustusch, 9141 E. Jefferson Ave., Detroit, Mich. 48214 Filed July 29, 1968, Ser. No. 748,382 Int. Cl. E04b 2/32; E04f 13/18 US. Cl. 52-564 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Interfitting structural modules are built up in overlapping courses or tiers on a horizontal foundation into the desired building wall formation and either used as such or as a form assembly into 'which concrete is poured. Each module includes a pair of laterally-spaced elongated parallel vertical panels interconnected at their tops and ends by wire grating spacers into the interstices of which are optionally inserted vertical tubular members of either round or square cross-section. These serve as conduits for heating, ventilation, plumbing or electric wiring when concrete is poured around them, or as columns when filled with concrete. The panels and wire grating spacers are capable of being transported and packed in knocked down form and assembled either at the building contractors establishment or at the building site. Each module has longitudinal edge rabbets which interlock with one another at the joints between successive courses or tiers. The outer panels are optionally provided with spaced holes which receive pegs or pins, the heads of which are embedded in rectangular face-brick-simulating plates. The open ends of the end modules in the wall construction are closed by end closure panels inserted in grooves in the elongated parallel side panels. A simplified module (FIGS. 12 and 13) omits the longitudinal rods of the top spacers and also the vertical rods of the end spacers and uses simple tie rods with perpendicularly-bent ends entering holes in the top and ends of the panels. A still further simplified module (FIG. 14) omits the end tie rods or spacers of FIGS. 12 and 13, retaining only the top spacers, and resulting in a module which can be folded flat for storage or shipment, with the end rods added at the building site, or used without the end rods in the oblique arrangement of FIG. 14 which enables the wall thickness to be varied as desired.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of a section of a building Wall construction built up of structural modules according to one form of the invention, showing a filling spout from which concrete is being poured;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view on an enlarged scale of one of the structural modules;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary section on a still further enlarged scale taken along the line 33 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a front elevation of the module shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a left-hand end elevation thereof, with the opposite ends of an upper rod broken away to disclose the construction behind them;

FIG. 6 is a top plan view, upon a reduced scale, of a ice portion of a wall construction with the modules filled solidly with concrete up to the level of the topmost spacer;

FIG. 7 is a top plan view similar to FIG. 6 but with tubular members of rectangular shape inserted in interstices of the spacers and filled with concrete to form columns, the remainder of the wall structure being empty;

FIG. 8 is a top plan view similar to FIG. 7 but using tubular members of circular cross-section filled with concrete to form columns;

FIG. 9 is a top plan view similar to FIG. 6 but with empty tubular members of circular cross-section inserted in the interstices of the spacers to form conduits and surrounded by poured concrete;

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary top plan view of the corner portion of one of the end modules of a course or tier equipped with an end closure panel having dovetail ribs inserted in dovetail grooves thereof;

FIG. 11 is a rear perspective view of a face-brick-simulating plate.

FIG. 12 is a top plan view of a simplified building structure module using cross rods without longitudinal rods;

FIG. 13 is an end elevation of FIG. 12; and

FIG. 14 is a top plan view, upon a reduced scale, of a still further simplified building structure module wherein the end spacing rods have been omitted.

Referring to the drawings in detail, FIG. 1 shows a building wall construction, generally designated 10, composed of interfitting building wall structural modules 12 arranged in alternately offset or staggered or overlapping joint courses or tiers 14, 16 and 18, it being understood that more than three courses or tiers are employed in the usual building wall construction. Optionally inserted in interstices of the modules 14, as explained more fully below, are tubular members 20 of rectangular cross-section or tubular members 22 of circular cross-section formed from any suitable material, such as plain or corrugated cardboard, plastic or metal. Shown diagrammatically above the building wall construction 10 is the pouring spout 24 of a concrete mixer (not shown) in the act of pouring a stream 26 of concrete 28 into the individual modules 12 which make up the building wall construction 10. An optional simulated brick facing 30 composed of individual overlapping-joint rectangular brick-simulating facing plates 32 (FIG. 11) can be used. Each such plate 32 is of the size of a standard face brick, with a body 33 of moldable material such as synthetic plastic or ceramic material with reinforcement ribs 31 connecting bosses 35 in which the heads 37 of pins or pegs 39 are embedded. The joints 34 are staggered or offset in alternate courses or tiers. Such a plate is disclosed and claimed in my copending application Ser. No. 777,930 filed Aug. 2, 1968 for Siding Brick.

Each module 12 includes a pair of rectangular front and rear panels 36 and 38 respectively (FIGS. 2 to 5 inclusive) formed of plywood or other suitable material and having at their upper longitudinal edges inwardly-facing upper longitudinal rabbets 40 and at their lower edges outwardly-facing lower longitudinal rabbets 42 (FIG. 5). The upper rabbets 40 provide upper longitudinal ribs 44 projecting upward from the outer surfaces of the panels 36 and 38 whereas the lower rabbets 42 provide lower longitudinal ribs 46 projecting downward from the inner surfaces of the panels 36 and 38. These rabbets 40 and 42 3 and their corresponding ribs 44 and 46 interlock with the corresponding rabbets and ribs of other modules 12 in courses or tiers above and below them, as shown at the left-hand end of FIG. 1.

The opposite ends 48 of the outer and inner panels 36 and 38 are provided near their top and bottom ribs 44 and 46 with longitudinally-extending holes '50 (FIG. having horizontal grooves 52 extending laterally inward to the inner surfaces of the panels 36 and 38. Seated in these holes 50 are the perpendicularly-bent ends 54 of the upper and lower horizontal rods 56 interconnected by vertical tie rods 58 spot-welded or otherwise secured thereto and collectively constituting end spacers, generally designated 60 (FIG. 5). These end spacers 60, as their name signifies, tie together and space the opposite ends of the front and rear panels 36 and 38 while the grooves 52 countersink the horizontal rods 56 so that the end spacers 60 do not project beyond the ends 48, and hence do not interfere with adjacent ends 48 of adjacent panels 36 and 38 abutting them.

In a similar manner, the top edges or surfaces 62 of the panels 36 and 38 are provided with longitudinallyspaced vertical holes 66 (FIG. 3) and grooves 68 extending inward toward one another (FIG. 2). Seated in the vertical holes 66 are the downwardly-bent perpendicular ends 70 of four cross rods 72 which on their under sides are joined by longitudinal rods 74 spot-welded or otherwise secured thereto and collectively constituting a top spacer, generally designated 76. The cross rods 72 are so spaced relatively to one another and to the longitudinal rods 74 as to form a pair of square openings 78 which alternatively and optionally receive either the tubular members 20 of square cross-section or the tubular members 22 of circular cross-section (FIGS. 1 and 7 to 9 inclusive). Thus, the panels 36 and 38 are interconnected at their opposite ends by end spacers 60 and at their tops by the spacers 76, the bottoms being left open.

For the purpose of joining the building wall construction with a wall construction 10 extending perpendicularly thereto, as at a corner, the front and rear panels 36 and 38 are provided with corner notches 80 (FIG. 4) and intermediate notch openings 82 in the bottom ribs 46. The corner notch 80 in the module 12 located at an intended corner of the building and the intermediate notch opening 82 thereof respectively receive the upper edge portion near the end of the panels 36 and 38 of the module 12 of the wall structure 10 perpendicular thereto. To close the otherwise open ends, certain corner modules 84 (FIG. 10) are provided with vertical dovetail grooves 86 in the inner sides of the panels 88 corresponding to the panels 36 and 38. 'Slidably received within the dovetail grooves 86 are correspondingly-shaped vertical dovetail ribs 90 formed on the opposite ends 92 of end closure panels 94.

The front panels "36 (FIG. 4) are provided with vertically-spaced pairs of holes 96 which are adapted to receive the pins 39, the heads 37 of which are embedded in the bodies 33 of the elongated brick-simulating plates 32, as stated above.

In the use of the invention, let it be assumed that the building wall or structural modules 12 have been assembled in sufiicient numbers, either at the contractors workshop or at the building site, by mounting the perpendicularly-bent ends 54 of the horizontal rods 56 of the end spacers 60 in their respective holes 50 and countersunk below the end surfaces 48 in the grooves '52 (FIGS. 2 and 5). Let it also be assumed that the top spacers 76 have been similarly assembled with their perpendicularlybent ends 70 inserted in the vertical holes 66- and horizontal grooves 68 (FIG. 3). Let it further be assumed that a sufiicient number of the end modules 84 have been similarly assembled, with the exception of the fact that one of the end spacers 60 has been replaced by the end closure panel 94 with its dovetail tongues 90 inserted in the dovetail grooves 86 thereof. Let it finally be assumed that a sufficiently stable horizontal foundation has been provided, such as the conventional poured concrete footings for ordinary buildings. If any of the tubular members 20 or 22 are to be employed, these are also assembled or provided at the building site. It is assumed, of course, that if concrete is to be employed in the building structure, a suitable supply will be at hand at the proper moment.

The carpenter, mason or other Workman designated to lay up the structure, places the lowermost row of structural modules 12 upon the footings in an end-to-end arrangement, with an end module 84 mounted at each end of the footing in perpendicular relationship thereto for starting the lowermost courses 14 on the perpendicular footing for the walls at right angles to the initial wall structure. The workman lays up the second course 16 with the midpoints of the modules 12 thereof aligned with the joints 34 in the lowermost course 14, with the ends provided, as before, with corner modules 84 where necessary. The workman then lays up the third course or tier 18 with the joints 34 aligned with the joints 34 of the first course 14, such as by the use of a plumb line. When this is properly done, the openings 78 will be aligned vertically but, of course, in alternating succession from the bottom tier through the second tier, through the third tier, and so forth. In other words, the right-hand opening 78 of the second tier 16 will align with the left-hand opening 78 of the first tier 14, whereas the openings 78 of the third tier 18 will align with their corresponding openings 78 in the first tier 14. If either the tubular members 20 of square cross-section or the tubular members 22 of circular cross-section are to be used, these are inserted from above through the openings 78 wherever it is desired to place them.

If the building to be constructed is for temporary or light duty purposes, and the wall construction 10 a nonload-bearing one, the concrete filling or core thereof may be omitted and the construction carried on tier by tier until the desired height of the walls has been obtained. For military or other temporary but somewhat stronger construction, the modules 12 of the wall construction 10 may be filled with dirt, sand, clay or, if desired, insulating material, such as fibrous glass, foam plastic or rock wool. The roof construction then follows in a conventional manner.

If, on the other hand, a concrete filling is to be employed, the wall 10 is built up tier by tier in the abovedescribed manner until three, four or five tiers have been so erected. The concrete mixer is then set in operation and its spout 24, or in lieu thereof a suitable concrete delivery hose (not shown) is positioned over the previously-assembled wall construction 10 and concrete is poured in the stream 26 into the interior of the Wall construction 10. The number of tiers or courses 14, 16 or 18 poured at a single time is limited by the fact that if too many tiers are erected, the weight of the concrete is liable to burst the modules 12 by forcing the side panels 36 and 38 apart from one another and rupturing the connections between them and their respective end spacers 60 and top spacers 76. If no tubular members 20 or 22 are used, the solidly-filled wall construction 10 has the appearance shown at the left-hand end of FIG. 1 when it is filled to the top thereof.

If, on the other hand, the tubular members 20 of square or other rectangular cross-section are used, the wall construction 10 has the appearance shown in FIG. 6 when looking down upon it from above. Where tubular members 22 are used, in a similar manner, the building wall construction 10 has the appearance in top plan view shown in FIG. 9. If, however, a hollow wall construction is to be employed and reinforced by concrete stanchions or posts, the concrete is poured only into the tubular members 20 of rectangular cross-section (FIG.

7) or into the tubular members 22 of circular crosssection (FIG. 8). The concrete-filled tubular members 20 or 22 of FIGS. 7 and 8 thus provide vertical concrete posts or stanchions 100 or 102 respectively of rectangular or circular cross-section.

If the wall construction 10 is to posses an external appearance simulating brick, the workman installs the brick facing 30 by inserting the pairs of pins 39 of each plate body 33 into the holes 96, staggering the successive courses or tiers thereof so that they overlap one another as shown in FIG. 1. The brick-simulating plates 32 are of such dimensions that they leave gaps 41 and 43 between the sides and ends thereof respectively into which mortar or a simulating substance thereof can be inserted by a Workman, such as by a brick mason.

After the building wall construction 10' has been erected in the manner described above, the floor, roof and window constructions follow conventional procedures. In order to provide for window and door openings, with the building wall or structural modules 12 arranged in overlapping or staggered courses, it will be evident that certain of the modules 12 adjacent the window or door opening will be of half length rather than full length so that the ends adjacent the window or door opening will be in vertical alignment.

In the foregoing specification, wherever the term wall or wall construction is used, it will be understood that this term also includes a partition. From the foregoing description it will be seen that the present invention provides a building wall construction which can be erected in less time and with comparatively semiskilled labor than can be accomplished using presentlyknown materials and construction methods. As a result, the cost of construction is greatly reduced. The wall construction 10 is adaptable not only to stationary buildings but also to movable structures, such as ships or wheeled vehicles. The components of the movable wall construction are easily packed and transported in knocked-down or collapsed form and the tubular members 20 made up of flat foldable sheets along designated fold lines or grooves.

The simplified building structure module, generally designated 100, shown in FIGS. 12 and 13 resembles the building structure module 12 of FIGS. 1 to 5 inclusive in most respects and similar parts accordingly bear the same reference numerals. In the module 100, however, the longitudinal top rods 74 and the vertical end rods 58 have been omitted, leaving only the top cross rods 72 and the end cross rods 56. In the building structure module 100 of FIGS. 12 and 13, it is assumed that low cost construction is involved where the tubular members 20 or 22 of FIGS. 1 and 6 to 9 inclusive are not used, hence for convenience the spacers or top cross rods 72 of FIGS. 12 and 13 are equally spaced since there is no necessity for providing large square openings for tubular members of either circular or square cross-section.

The further simplified building structure module 102 of FIG. 14 omits the end spacers or tie rods 56 of the module 100. This omission renders the module 102 collapsible either for storage or transportation. It also serves to form a thinner building wall for a low cost structure, as well as enabling the thickness of the wall to be varied as desired. For an interior wall, for example, the panels 36 and 38 of the module 102 could be moved closer together than for an exterior wall.

The invention contemplates the use of siding bricks on either an outside or an interior wall, or both. Such bricks would be used, for example, on an interior wall of the building for a room used as a kitchen, a laboratory, a surgical operating room, a bathroom, basement workshop, recreation room or in any other location where an easily cleaned sanitary wall facing is desired.

In addition to plywood, the panels may be conveniently made of chipboard, flakeboard, press-wood, asbestos, ceramic materials or other suitable materials. Before the siding bricks are installed, a thick layer of a suitable mastic type adhesive is applied to the surface, then the siding bricks are applied and the excess mastic is squeezed into the spaces between the bricks, thus automatically creating a mortar line effect.

I claim:

1. A self-supporting building structure module for a building wall construction comprising a vertically extending rectangular front panel,

a vertically extending rectangular rear panel disposed in a horizontally spaced parallel relationship with said front panel,

substantially rigid first spacer means extending horizontally between said front and rear panels, the ends of said first spacer means being attached respectively directly to said front and rear panels adjacent vertically adjacent longitudinal edges thereof,

projecting portions disposed on the upper and lower longitudinal edges of said front and rear panels for engagement with adjacent longitudinal edges of vertically adjacent building structure module, whereby relative forward and rearward displacement of vertically adjacent modules is prevented,

and substantially rigid second spacer means extending horizontally between and connected to said front and rear panels, the ends of said second spacer means being connected to horizontally adjacent opposing ends of said front and rear panels, said second spacer means being recessed in said ends,

said first spacer means comprising a substantially rigid wire grating structure having spaced parallel cross members with perpendicularly bent opposite ends seated in said panels and having spaced parallel longitudinal members perpendicular to and interconnecting said cross members,

said longitudinal edges of said panels having horizontally spaced holes therein with transverse grooves extending inward from said holes with said perpendicularly bent opposite ends of said first spacer means seated in said holes and with the adjacent portions of said first spacer means disposed in said grooves below said longitudinal panel edges.

2. A building structure module, according to claim 1, wherein said members are disposed perpendicular to one another and form a plurality of rectangular openings in said horizontal spacer, and wherein a vertical tubular element of substantially the same rectangular cross-section as one of said openings is disposed in said one opening in mating engagement with the portions of said members bounding the edges of said one opening.

3. A building structure module, according to claim 1, wherein said second spacer means comprise substantially rigid wire structures with perpendicularly-crossed members secured to one another, wherein horizontally ex tending ones of said members extend perpendicularly to said panels and have opposite ends seated in said panels and vertically extending ones of said members are secured to and interconnect said horizontally extending ones of said members, wherein said opposite ends of said panels have vertically spaced holes therein with transverse grooves extending inward from said holes and wherein said opposite ends of said horizontally extending members are bent perpendicular to the remainder thereof and are seated in said holes in said ends with the adjacent portions of said second spacer means disposed in said grooves behind said panel ends.

4. A building structure module, according to claim 1, wherein one of said panels has a plurality of verticallyspaced rows of horizontally-spaced holes in one side thereof, and wherein brick-simulating plates are disposed in abutting relationship with said one panel and have pins embedded therein with shanks perpendicular to said plates seated in said holes.

5. A building structure module, according to claim 1, wherein said projecting portions have rectangular notches disposed at thereof.

one end and at the approximate midportion 2,919,572 3,238,684 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 165,423 2/1915 Marshall 52564 5 246,381 1/1921 Hassam 52384 246,626 12/1924 Hahn 52562 989,365 12/1930 Bernis 52381 11/1931 Lockwood 52380 10/1936 Marks 52564 10 5/1939 Cascio 52378 8/1953 Wilson 52565 8 v 1/1960 Salzi 52-'381 3/1966 Wood 52379 FOREIGN PATENTS 2/1950 Austria 52592 1966 Austria 52562 2/1926 Great Britain 52565 5/1951 France 52564 HENRY C. SUTH'ERLAND, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

